


Through the Rain

by cloud_dcst (greatcloudninja)



Series: TKS TsukaSen Week [3]
Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Canon - Manga, Discord: The Kingdom of Shipping (Dr. STONE), M/M, Manga Spoilers, Post-Tsukasa Revival, Sickfic, TKS TsukaSen Week - Rain/Storms, TKSevents, Tsukasen, tkstsukasenweekjan2021, tks司千週間祭2021, tsusen, 司千
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:28:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28995252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greatcloudninja/pseuds/cloud_dcst
Summary: Tsukasa gets caught in a downpour and develops a fever. But it's okay, because Senku is there to nurse him back to health.
Relationships: Ishigami Senkuu/Shishiou Tsukasa
Series: TKS TsukaSen Week [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2123469
Comments: 2
Kudos: 44
Collections: TsukaSen Week January 2021





	Through the Rain

**Author's Note:**

> This is my entry for Day 3 of [TKS TsukaSen Week](https://twitter.com/tksDCSTevents)! I used the prompt "Rain/Storms" for this fic!

“Man, it’s really coming down out there,” Chrome said, standing at the doorway of the lab and peeking out through the tiny gap between the doorframe and the oiled leather cloth that hung in front of it. The cloth was tied down at the sides and weighted with pieces of iron, but the bottom edge still flapped in the wind and let splashes of rain into the lab every so often.

It was late September, and it had been unseasonably warm the past day or so. The thermometer on the wall read just over 30 degrees celsius. A bolt of lightning flashed outside, lighting up the edges of the doorway, and thunder rumbled a moment later.

The thunder was interrupted by a loud rapping against the doorframe. “Senku, are you in there?” came Tsukasa’s voice. “I need to see you.”

“Tsukasa!” Senku rushed past Chrome and untied the leather flap, pushing it aside and letting the man step into the lab. “What are you doing, it’s raining cats and dogs outside! You’re completely drenched.” Thankfully he kept plenty of cloth in the lab in case of chemical spills, so he pulled a few out and tossed them at the taller man while Chrome re-secured the flap.

Tsukasa shed his lion cloak and draped it over a corner of one of the shelves. As per usual, he was shirtless underneath, his red kilt dripping wet and his hair completely soaked through as if he’d just come from the river. “I needed to ask you something, Senku, and I thought I could outrun the storm,” he murmured. “But it hit when I was about half an hour away.”

“Half an hour? I was wondering where you were, I haven’t seen you all day.”

“I had gone out to Roppongi Hills… the former empire,” Tsukasa murmured. “I… didn’t exactly get much of a chance to check the place over after the end of the battle, before… Hyouga did what he did.”

“Right…” Senku glanced away and stuck his pinky in his ear as he asked, “Were you looking for something in particular?”

“I wouldn’t say anything in particular. I was just making sure no important supplies had been left behind, that was all. And I kind of wanted to see it once more before we made our voyage to America.”

“I see. Did you find anything while you were there?”

“Yes, that’s what I wanted to come and see you about…” Before Tsukasa could say more, he froze—eyes squinting shut before a great, loud sneeze shook the rafters of the laboratory. He sniffled and rubbed at his nose with a finger. “Sorry about that…”

Senku frowned and stepped forward, pushing Tsukasa’s still-wet hair out of his face to put the back of his hand to Tsukasa’s forehead. “Hey, you’re burning up. Did you catch a cold out there in the rain? We have antibiotics, not antivirals, you big oaf.”

“I thought Taiju was the big oaf,” Tsukasa murmured with a weak chuckle that quickly morphed into a cough. 

Senku clucked his tongue in response. “If the shoe fits. Anyway, come on. Let’s get you up to the storehouse and dried off properly. It’s too far to the village in this rain, but you need out of those wet clothes before you get any worse.” 

If Tsukasa had come down with something more serious than a cold, it could cause a considerable delay for them leaving to go to America. They were already cutting it close—they had less than two months before the end of the corn growing season. If they didn’t make it in time, they’d have to wait a full year before being able to harvest enough corn for their needs.

He would have to make sure Tsukasa got plenty of rest and fluids to help his body recover. 

The two of them hurried the short distance from the laboratory to the storehouse. It wasn’t quite so cramped as it had been when Senku had first moved in; the second floor observatory gave them some extra space away from all the storage. Senku climbed upstairs to arrange the softest blankets and furs for the taller man, while he disrobed and dried off below. Senku was just fiddling with one last pillow when Tsukasa’s head popped up from the opening in the floor. “Good timing. Come here and lie down, and I’ll get a cold compress for your forehead and something warm for you to drink.”

“You don’t have to do all this, Senku, I’ll be fine,” Tsukasa protested. “I know you’re very busy getting ready for our voyage; don’t worry about coddling me.”

“It’s not coddling, Tsukasa. If we don’t have you, we can’t leave.” The simple words spoke volumes; Senku’s heart pounded at the thought of leaving the man behind again. “I can’t— _ we _ can’t do this without you.”

Amber eyes, always so sharp and intuitive, widened in realization. “Senku… don’t… don’t blame yourself for what happened. You  _ saved _ me. You crawled through hell on the thinnest rope of science and—and you saved my life. Not just my life, but my humanity. I…” Tsukasa swallowed heavily and yanked Senku into a tight embrace, burying them both in the furs and blankets. “I love you,” he whispered.

Cheeks completely red, as if  _ he _ was the one running a fever, Senku squirmed a little but couldn’t break free of the iron grip. “Y-you—damn it, Tsukasa…” He finally managed to roll over and bury his face in Tsukasa’s chest. Tsukasa could only chuckle and stroke Senku’s hair. He felt more than heard Senku mumble something in return; Tsukasa smiled.  _ I love you, too. _

* * *

It took a couple of days, but Tsukasa’s fever finally broke. He sat up the third morning, clear-headed and drenched in sweat; but for the first time since the rainstorm, he felt relatively normal. He used what remained of the bowl of water from his compress to wipe himself clean, then proceeded down the ladder to the main floor where Senku and Chrome slept. The moment his bare feet touched the wooden floor, Senku sat up, as if waiting for the sounds of Tsukasa’s movement. “I feel much better now,” he whispered, cognizant of the other scientist who slept peacefully in the room.

Senku gave him a look that clearly read,  _ I’ll be the judge of that. _ But when he felt only the slight coolness of Tsukasa’s forehead, his expression turned pleased. “Good. Then we can still make our cutoff time. It’ll be a hellish voyage, but we can make it to America before the corn growing season ends.”

“Hnn… are we leaving today?” Chrome sat up from his pallet and yawned tiredly.

“No, we’ll load up the  _ Perseus  _ with supplies today and head out tomorrow at first light. It’ll take us 40 days, at minimum, but if we can hit that pace then we’ll just squeak by.”

_ “40 days?”  _ Chrome’s eyes widened. “Can we even make it that fast?”

“Of course we can! Like I said, it’ll be a grueling push, like our spartan crafts club on steroids, but we can do it.”

“Then lead the way, captain!” Chrome’s response made Senku chuckle. He wasn’t the captain; no, that title was better left to Ryusui, who would be at the helm. Senku was perfectly happy with  _ chief, _ thank you very much.

Tsukasa’s hand came down on Senku’s shoulder and squeezed it gently. “Yes, lead the way, Senku. Whatever I can do to help, just point me in the right direction.”

Senku’s grin turned positively greasy as he glanced up at Tsukasa. “I’m  _ so _ glad you said that, Mr. World’s Strongest Primate. I have a whole  _ list _ of things I need your help with today, since you had to go and get a fever. You said you had found something down at the former empire site, didn’t you? What was it?”

Tsukasa blinked in surprise. He’d completely forgotten about his trip in the haze of fever. But… “It doesn’t matter anymore. We don’t need it.”

Tsukasa had found a doctor he recognized, way back when—someone from Mirai’s hospital. But he hadn’t had the opportunity to revive them before the stone wars happened; a combination of fear that medicine would breed science, and pain from the memory of his lost little sister. His intention had been to take Senku down to revive the man, thinking he might be useful on the voyage. But with how diligently Senku had taken care of Tsukasa in the last couple of days, despite all the other work he had to put in on final preparations for their voyage, there would be no need to revive someone just for the sake of having a doctor on board.

They would be in good hands with Senku, their Dr. Stone. 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to join the Dr. Stone shipping server! All ships are welcome!  
> We have lots of events scheduled, RP our fave ships, share headcanons, etc!  
> [Click here to join us!](https://discord.gg/RGy78Kj)


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